The Mechanics of the Shanghai International Gold Exchange

The Shanghai International Gold Exchange can be viewed in a number of ways. Organizationally, the SGEI it is a fully-owned subsidiary of the SGE and is registered in the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ)1. The SGEI’s offices are also located in the Shanghai Pilot FTZ in the Bank of China Tower, 200 Yincheng Road Central, Pudong, in Shanghai.

From a trading perspective, SGEI refers to the “International Board” of the Exchange. On this Board, a number of physical gold contracts (products) specifically designed for international gold investors are listed and traded. Since these products are physically delivered gold contracts, the SGEI infrastructure also encompasses a certified precious metals vault where the physical metal backing this gold trading is stored. This SGEI certified vault is also located in the Shanghai Pilot FTZ and is ring-fenced from the SGE’s network of gold vaults that serve the domestic Chinese gold market. The gold in the SGEI vault can be freely imported into and exported from the FTZ since the FTZ is deemed to be outside of China for customs purposes.